More Coverage

Related Stories

Lost in the public relations flap that became NHL realignment was an interesting idea from the players.

It concerned expanding the playoff pool to address the inequities of having two conferences with eight teams and two with seven.

According to a couple of players, the NHLPA suggested adding wild cards to the mix and having them stage a play-in game or games to earn the final playoff spots.

Details were sketchy, but one player told NHL Saturday there was support for the idea of a doubleheader afternoon with four teams playing sudden-death games to decide which ones would get the final couple of playoff spots.

"They would have the stage to themselves and can you imagine the hockey?" one player said. "It would mean more revenue for everybody, but it was a non-starter from the owners' standpoint. They weren't interested at all."

Another player said it doesn't mean the idea is dead.

"There is going to be realignment and it's all going to have to be negotiated," he said.

HEAR AND THERE: The fall of the Tampa Bay Lightning -- or was last season's trip to the Eastern Conference final merely an exception? -- has some speculating on the future of coach Guy Boucher, just in his second year. Tampa general manager Steve Yzerman said discussions of Boucher's job security are "a non-issue ... There's no point in anybody discussing the coach. We've got a great coach. He's the same coach as last year. His message is work hard, be structured. Our guys are competing. He'll learn from this experience and he'll be an even better coach." ... The all-star fantasy draft Thursday will have a different look to it. Last year, in its debut, the players sat out front waiting to be selected. This year they will be behind the stage in a cocktail lounge setup. There will be cameras back there, so fans will still be able to see reactions to the selections ... New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur had to ask Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne for a favour. Not for himself, but for his son, Anthony. The 16-year-old Brodeur is 15-2-1 with a 2.29 goals-against average for Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school. "He likes Pekka Rinne, I think," Brodeur said. "I had to ask for a stick for him." ... Brodeur also has 15-year-old twins at Shattuck: Jeremy is also a goaltender and William is a forward.

THE BUZZ: Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula and a couple of lieutenants are on the Sabres' seven-game trip which is leading to speculation they are getting a close-hand look before maybe making a move to shake up the slumping club. The Sabres have lost 11 in a row on the road. Publicly, Pegula is saying GM Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff are safe. Some in NHL circles aren't so sure about Regier ... Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher can't be seen without a phone to his ear these days as he tries to find a deal that will help his sagging club (first overall in NHL Dec. 17; now, a month later, loser of 15 of 17, ninth in the West). Coach Mike Yeo, not so long ago in the middle of the coach-of-the-year talk, isn't flinching: "It's not how you drive, it's how you arrive," he said ... JUST SAYING: The ownership of the Columbus Blue Jackets had meetings recently and decided GM Scott Howson's job was safe, for now. The Jackets did have some more bad luck with the revelation defenceman Radek Martinek, signed as a free agent, will be out for the rest of the season with a concussion. His contribution? Seven games ... The Montreal Canadiens brass (GM Pierre Gauthier and consultant Bob Gainey) have fanned out over the Midwest and the West Coast of the U.S., and have been seen at games over the past few days leading to speculation the Habs are getting ready to make a deal. It is a foregone conclusion veteran defenceman Hal Gill will be dealt and likely wingers Travis Moen and Andrei Kostitsyn, as well.

JUST WONDERING: If you're the Carolina Hurricanes, how did they let forward Jeff Skinner go back on the ice after that big hit by Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik? Skinner is coming off a concussion, he looked shaken up on the play and, let's face it, this is a lost season for the Hurricanes. They checked Skinner out and he got the OK to go back in the game. But why take a risk? Give him the rest of the night off.

THE LAST WORD: Scott Arniel, deposed as Columbus Blue Jackets coach, said he still has moments when he feels like he got the shaft. "It has been over a week now and it still bothers me, still gnaws at me. I hate to leave unfinished business. And look, I've been a coach for 13 years; I didn't get stupid in three months."

SOMETHING SPECIAL

New Jersey Devils

Short-handed situations: 161

Goals: 16

Percentage: 90.1

Rank: 1

The Devils are the only team to top the 90% mark in penalty killing going into Friday's games. Their 16 goals allowed while short-handed are the fewest in the league (the New York Rangers have given up 19). Defenceman Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov have been the workhorses for the Devils PK. Rookie Adam Henrique has turned out to be a force short-handed, as well. He ranks third in ice time among the Devils forwards used to kill penalties and he has four of the Devils' league-leading 11 short-handed goals this season. Zach Parise is the Devils' best penalty-killing forward and has three shorties, just another reason he could be a top free agent next summer.

AMBULANCE CHASING

Injuries that are having, or could have, a big impact.

Philadelphia Flyers

Further to the concussion sustained by captain Chris Pronger, he has been prescribed glasses which apparently have helped some of his symptoms, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said.

Asked if this could be a career-ending injury, Holmgren said: "Somebody said to me, one of our doctors, that concussions are like fingerprints, none of them are the same. We obviously hope for the best for Chris and, over time, we'll need to prepare for the worst, but I don't think we're at that point right now."

Pronger is to meet with doctors again Feb. 1 for another assessment.

GO FIGURE

6

The number of goals Nashville Predators forward Sergei Kostitsyn has scored since Jan. 1. That's pretty good. It's really good when you consider Kostitsyn has taken just nine shots during those nine games. Kostitsyn once had a stretch where he scored six goals on eight shots. He obviously shoots only when he thinks it's worth it.

58

The most shots taken in the NHL without scoring a goal going into Friday's games. Roman Polak of the St. Louis Blues is still looking for his first. Magnus Paajarvi of the Edmonton Oilers is next at 55. Peter Holland of Anaheim and Adam Cracknell of St. Louis are the only players with a 100% shooting percentage, each having scored on his only shot this season.

6

The number of consecutive seasons Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has led the league in shots. Ovechkin has finished first every season since arriving in the NHL in 2005-06. His streak is in danger this season: James Neal of the Pittsburgh Penguins was leading with 193 entering Friday games. Ovechkin was seventh with 167.

550

The NHL record for shots in a season, set by Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins in 1970-71. Ovechkin owns the second and third most shots in a season, 528 in 2008-09 and 446 in 2007-08. Neal is on pace for 344 shots this season which would be the lowest leading total since Ilya Kovalchuk, with 341 in 2003-04.

THE GROCERY STICK

Who is -- literally or figuratively -- heading for, or already in, that comfortable spot on the bench that separates the forwards and the defencemen?

Buffalo Sabres forward Derek Roy is having his struggles -- three goals and eight assists in his past 27 games -- and is minus-13 over that stretch. Thing is, Roy is not alone in Buffalo. You could include Drew Stafford, with four goals in 41 games, and Brad Boyes, with three goals this season. It's no surprise that Roy's name and the names of other Sabres are rumoured to be trade bait: They're a team in need of a shakeup.